14 January 2015: The Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative convened a seminar in Gujarat, India, on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, in order to provide a forum to exchange knowledge and experiences in support of the Government’s efforts to lift millions out of poverty. High-level panel discussions were held on ‘The Use of Frontier Technologies to Scale-up Integration of Renewables’ and ‘Sustainability through Energy Efficiency.’

During a keynote address, India’s Minister of State for Power, Coal and Renewable Energy, Piyush Goyal, said that the Indian power sector has an investment potential of US$250 billion over the next 5-6 years with opportunities in generation, distribution and transmission. Noting the importance of sustainable energy for all for sustainable development, UN Under-Secretary-General for SE4ALL and CEO of the SE4ALL initiative, Kandeh Yumkella, said that millions of people in India still lack access to energy, electricity and clean fuels, and that the Indian Prime Minister’s vision to provide energy access for all and increase renewable energy use will help end energy poverty.

Other speakers indicated that states such as Gujarat have increased efforts towards sustainable energy, and are promoting its development through renewable energy and energy efficiency measures.

SE4ALL and the Government of Gujarat signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that includes: catalyzing technical support to assist the Gujarat Government to develop strategic pathways for sustainable energy development and implement plans to achieve those objectives; and sharing best practices and supporting Gujarat’s collaboration with global institutions and the private sector to reduce costs and increase the economic and operational efficiency of renewables. [SE4ALL News Story]